The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-06-16
The Austin g. McGregor Railroad.
To the Editor of the Statesman.

The Austin committee on railroads are
still waiting reply from the president of
the Cotton Belt line to the proposition
submitted 10 him last month. They will
pardon the suggestion that they are vast
ing time. 1t is well enough to stick to
the plan of getting that company to
build the road, but a different proposition
will have to be made, and the committee
had as well be getting 1t ready. 1t was
very evident, from suggestions thrown
out by Mr.. Kerens, the vice-president of
the road when the committee met him at
Texarkana, that proposition to give a
money bonus alone would not be accept
able, but that a donation of right-of-
way and depot grounds would
be expected Mr.. Kereas is the active
manager of the company, owns most of
its bonds, and is the ruling spirit of the
directory. His suggestions, therefore,
are weighty. In private interview with
him at Texarkaua, he expressed himself
to me rs favorably i'm pressed with the
line we asked him to build, and suggested
that the building Of it could be greatly
fastened if Austin would organize local
company, take out charter, secure right
Of way and depot grounds, and whatever
donations it could get along the route;
and then, if the local company desired to
go no further with the matter, the Cotton
Belt people would com plete and operate
the road as part of their system.
Said he would organize corps
of engineers and place it at the disposal
of the local company, so that the location
of the line would be such as the Cotton
Belt company would desire. 1 did not
write this to the Austin committeeman,
(Messrs. Male and Woodbridge had left
before had the interview for the reason
that l had repeatedly urged this line of
procedure, but it had been considered by
the Austin committee and rejected as i'm
practicable. 1t is given now, at the sug-
gestion of others, with the hope that, com
ing from a railroad officer of Mr.. Keren's
position and experience it may meet with
favorable consideration. This is the
quickest cheapest aud sure5t way
Of getting the road, because
Q.) As suggested by Mr.. Kerens, the
Cotton Belt company will require the right
of-way us an inducement, and this is the
cheapest and most convenient way of Sc
curing it. The land owners along the line
will deal more favorably with home folks
than with strangers.
(2.) The bonus now subscribed will not
be accepted, and to wait till President
Fordyce has his engineer to examine the
line and tells US formally what we already
know he will ask, before commencing to
get it for him, is to waste that much time.
81 To subscribe sufficient stock
to get charter secure
the right of way and other donations will
cost the Austin people less than the bonus
plan. For | take it that, if the road is
turned over to the Cotton Belt company,
subscribers 20 the stock of the local com
pany will retain their stock, or will re-
ceiye stock of the st. Louis, Arkansas &
Texas company in place of it. If the
road is not turned over it can be built by
the local company. For the Santa Fe
aud the Cotton Belt both being at Nc
Gregor will each see that the other does
not freeze it out. Sherman, to get
a branch of the Cotton Belt seventy miles
long, organized a company and got the
right of way and depot grounds, graded
the road, and gave it to. that company.
Sherman isn't half as big as Austin. Waco
wants the Santa Fe from Cameron, and
she is about to organize company to
get the right of way and grade it. Yet
Waco isn't as big as Austin. You Austin
people must "hump yourselves" and get
this road, or invite the bats down from
the bluffs of the Colorado to mhabit the
palaces of trade that line the Avenue.
JOHN n. LYLE.